Studies show that bright light in the morning is an effective treatment for seasonal depression

Every fall, like clockwork, Linda Krentz of Beaverton, Ore., felt her brain go on strike. "I just couldn't get going in the morning," she says. "I'd get depressed and gain 10 lbs. every winter and lose them again in the spring." Then she read about seasonal affective disorder, a form of depression that occurs in autumn and winter, and she saw the light--literally. Every morning now she turns on a specially constructed light box for half an hour and sits in front of it to trick her brain into thinking it's still enjoying those long summer days. It seems to work....